Frequently Asked Questions

About the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA)

The Connecticut General Assembly is the legislative branch of State Government. The General Assembly, which is made up of the House of Representatives (151 members) and the Senate (36 members), enacts laws dealing with the collection and allocation of funds, public welfare, the environment, education, public works, civil and criminal law and other matters.

Members are elected in November of even-numbered years from the districts in which they reside. Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives and the Connecticut Senate serve for a two-year term.

The General Assembly meets in the State Capitol in Hartford. General Assembly committees usually meet and hold most public hearings in the adjoining Legislative Office Building, which also houses Legislator offices. Committees, which may operate year-round, meet to review proposed legislation and make recommendations to the full House and Senate. A
more detailed description see "This is Your General Assembly".

The Lawmaking Process

Once a bill has been voted favorably out of committee, it is listed on the Calendar. After it has been on the Calendar for three days it can be voted on by the General Assembly. The Speaker of the House controls the agenda for the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore controls the agenda for the Senate. The House publishes a GO LIST just prior to a House session. This list of bills and/or resolutions on the Calendar reflects the legislation the House intends to take up on a particular session day. To find a GO LIST, select "Session Items" from the menu bar and click on "Go Lists" under "House".

Anyone may testify at a public hearing. The rules vary by committee. The notice of the Public Hearing in the Bulletin provides basic rule information. Testimony should be no longer than three to five minutes. The first hour of a hearing is normally reserved for legislators and agency heads or invited guests. Then testimony is taken in the order people signed up. Written testimony is not required but is recommended. If you bring written testimony, you must bring a copy for every committee member. Go to the Citizen Guide section on the CGA home page for a "Guide to Testifying at a Public Hearing".

Bill Information and Status

If you know the number of the bill you are looking for, click on the "Bills" tab at the bottom of your screen. This is the Quick Bill Search feature. You may also search for bills a number of different ways. See the Search Index page.

On the menu bar go to "Bill Info" and select "Bills by Subject". Click on the letter that represents the first character of the topic you wish to review (i.e., "E" for Environment Permits). Click on the topic link from the list to see the bills categorized under that particular topic by the Connecticut State Library.

Through any bill search method, or by going to "Bill Info" on the menu bar, find the bill you are interested in and click to go to that bill's history page. You can click the links under the Votes section (which appears only after a house or senate vote has actually taken place). The Connecticut State Library (http://www.cslib.org/) can also provide voting information.

Contact your Legislators

On the CGA home page you will see a Find Your Legislators section. Alternately, from the menu bar select Representation and click "Find Your Legislators". Enter your address in the respective fields to bring up a list of your house, senate and congressional representatives. You can also go to the "View District Town Maps" link (located at the bottom of the Find Your Legislator page) to locate your representative by town. Click the district number for your town and you will get to their individual website, which contains contact information.

From the menu bar select Session Items and click on "Legislative Info Download". The Legislator Database contains a detailed list of all current legislators. You can also go to the House Members List and/or Senate Members List (under Representation on the menu bar) to find this information.

Schedule of Events

On the CGA home page you will find a Schedule of Events section. Find an event you are interested in and click it to bring up details of that event. If the event has an agenda, there will be a link included. You can also go to individual committee pages to view that committee's calendar. Printed copies are available in the Bill Room in the Legislative Office Building (first floor).

The Capitol and Legislative Office Building are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. See "Capitol Tours" under the link Citizen Guide or call (860) 240-0222. Limited parking is available in the LOB garage off Broad St. and Capitol Avenue.

Legislative sessions are held at the Capitol Building in Hartford. The public gallery of the House may be reached by stairways from the 3rd floor; the Senate galleries open onto the 4th floor. Committee meeting and public hearing rooms are located in the adjoining Legislative Office Building.

The Capitol and Legislative Office Building are administered in compliance with the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Requests for accommodations should be directed to the Office of Legislative Management (860) 240-0100.